


Not right at all

by flightinflame



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Ableism, Charles Xavier in a Wheelchair, Domestic Violence, Dysfunctional Family, Families of Choice, M/M, Mistaken Identity, Mutant Powers, Period-Typical Homophobia, Poor Charles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21687583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: Meeting Charles's family is an education of the worst kind. But finding someone shouting at Charles - well, Erik isn't going to allow for that.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr & Raven | Mystique, Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Comments: 12
Kudos: 109
Collections: Secret Mutant Madness 2019





	Not right at all

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [milosdinosaur](https://archiveofourown.org/users/milosdinosaur/pseuds/milosdinosaur) in the [secret_mutant_madness_2019](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/secret_mutant_madness_2019) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> "Something's not right."
> 
> Can be any relationship, and have as many (or few) characters as you want

Erik was exhausted. It had been a long day, attending a party that Charles's mother had organised. He had no idea how Charles managed to deal with so many strangers and keep a smile on his face - right now Erik was sorely tempted to go and punch everyone. But they'd managed it. 

He'd been polite, and not snarled when Charles had politely introduced him as his partner, and Sharon had looked at him in disgust. He had managed to nod along sympathetically as she complained about her son being 'that way', and mentioned that at least Erik wasn't unattractive - and then given him a look that nearly had him running away screaming.

He had had to walk away when she'd asked what a nice boy like him could possibly want with a man in Charles's condition, her eyes drifting towards her son's wheelchair. There were limits to what he could be expected to tolerate, and she had pushed past them.

There were only two things that had got him through the entire miserable day. One was Charles's constant voice in his head, even when he'd been busy talking to his friend Hank. _You are doing so well. I know, they are awful, aren't they? It's alright, this evening we can go upstairs to my old room, and carry out all kinds of activities that they would despise of._

Erik had managed to smile at that.

The second reason was Charles's darling younger sister, who he spoke about with pride. A girl of fifteen, who had come up to him at the party and introduce herself shyly.  
"Hello? I'm.. I'm Raven, you're Erik, right?" 

"Yes," he smiled at her fondly, reminded of Ruth. Ruth would have been great at the party, his younger sister probably finding ways of pulling pranks. He hoped that one day he would be able to introduce Ruth to Raven. But for now, he would focus on talking to the younger girl. "You know, Charles speaks very highly of you."

The girl had seemed rather delighted about that, and had spent some time talking to him about her school, and her cheerleading, and the ballet class she was taking, and her success at playing the piano. Erik had been delighted to engage in a conversation that wasn't criticising the love of his life, and so had been having fun. 

Until eventually, the party had ended. Erik had gone for a walk around the grounds, needing to get some fresh air into his lungs before he snapped and murdered Charles's mother. He was fairly sure that he would be able to get away with it on moral grounds, argue it was a necessity or something, but he wasn't going to take that chance. 

He spent some time by the lake, watching the ripples spreading across its surface, and the reflection of the moon, and searching for that point of peace that Charles always spoke about.

"What do you think you're playing at?" The words drifted across the garden, the sneer underlying them unmistakable. Erik had known enough bullies in his life to know he couldn't just sit down and let other people hurt someone. He rushed back across the grounds, freezing at what he saw.

Charles was sat on a bench, his arms around himself, his head bowed, as another man around their age sneered down at him, grabbing his shoulder. Erik watched as the man almost lifted Charles to his feet.  
 _Charles, are you alright?_ He asked frantically. 

Charles had briefed him for that, said his brother had been ...unpleasant, asked Erik not to interfere.   
_I'm fine, don't worry._ Charles shot back, sounding a little distracted. Erik reached out, his metallokinesis wrapping around the other man's watch and belt buckle, just to be sure.

Charles was lowered back down, and the man snarled at him, as Charles flinched away, ducking his head and blinking back tears.

"How dare you?" The man snarled.

"Go away, Cain!" Charles shouted, his voice trembling with fear. He curled up more.

"For you to bring someone like that into our house." Cain stared at him. "Your mother might not want to tell you how awful you are, but you are. God, how could you do this." The man looked like he was about to punch Charles, drawing his fist back, and Erik couldn't stand it any longer. He used his power to lift the man up, flinging him off in the direction of the lake.

Charles stared up at him in wide eyed wonder, before blinking, tears shining in his eyes.  
"Erik?"

Erik nodded, sitting down beside him, frantic. He pulled Charles close.   
"I shouldn't have left you. I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine," Charles whispered, but he was shaking. Erik took off his jacket, wrapping it around his shoulders, and rocking Charles against him, pressing his face into Charles's hair.

"You shouldn't have had to-" Erik started, before frowning, as he realised what was odd about this entire scene.

He couldn't feel Charles's wheelchair.

_Charles?_

_Yes, Erik?_ Charles's voice sounded impatient. _I won't be long, only Hank has got some really interesting results, I can ravish you soon, I promise._

Erik reached out subtly, pulling the metal from the bench, reshaping it and then striking, wrapping it around this imposter's wrists and ankles.

They screamed, and it sounded like Charles when he was afraid.

He shaped the bracelet he was wearing into a knife, holding it towards their throat.  
"Who are you?"

"Please don't..." Charles whispered, and then he seemed to melt, flowing from Charles to a blue figure with red hair. There was a pause, and then it changed again, into the girl he had spoken with earlier. "Please don't be angry with me?"

"R...Raven?" Erik asked her. "Raven, what on earth are you doing here?"

"I thought... I thought I could help..." She muttered. "Cain was angry, and he told Charles to meet him outside, only Charles was talking to Hank and when they get talking they talk for _ages_ ," she dragged out the last word. "So I thought I'd... go instead. I didn't want you to see it."

"Raven..." Erik shuddered. "He could have hurt you."

"He would have hurt Charles otherwise!" She protested, drawing her head up and glaring at him angrily. 

Erik sighed, and pulled her into a tighter hug.  
"You're a brave girl, Raven, but you shouldn't have to do this." _Charles, I need you to come outside now. We've got to go._ He accompanied his message with an idea of what had happened.

_I'll be right down. Let's get out of here._

Raven closed her eyes, concentrating, then nodded.  
"Charles asks if you're okay with me coming to the hotel too after what Cain tried?"

"Of course." Erik promised. He wasn't going to leave either of them here, not for another moment.

The night might not have gone as planned, but a sleepover with Raven impersonating various people as they ate popcorn was certainly a much better evening than the one Erik had been having under Charles's mother's hospitality.


End file.
